


One Foot in the Bedroom, the Other in the Grave

by BaronVonChop



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bittersweet, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Growing Old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 22:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8686156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaronVonChop/pseuds/BaronVonChop
Summary: As Reinhardt and Ana prepare for their first night together, Reinhardt can't help but think about lost time and missed opportunities.





	

Ana knows that Reinhardt is not good at picking up on subtle hints, perhaps because he is far from subtle himself, so she makes things as clear as she can. Given that they are eating dinner at a fancy restaurant, there is a limit to how far she can go, but she takes opportunities as they arise.

As they peruse their menus, she starts things off with, “You look very dashing in that suit, Reinhardt.” He beams at her and replies, “And you are a vision in that dress!” It is a promising start.

After they have ordered their meals, Ana moves on to, “I think it would be nice to spend the night with you.” His reaction is an enthusiastic, “Nothing would please me more than spending time in your company!”

The waiter brings their food and pours their wine. When he leaves, Ana says, “I truly care about you, and I would love to take our relationship further.” Reinhardt gives her a big grin and replies with, “Ah, you have no idea how glad that makes me!” So far, so good, but Ana is still not convinced that he gets it.

When the check arrives, they both put their heads together to decide how to pay. As they whisper about the tip, Ana decides that it is best to leave nothing in doubt. “I want to sleep with you,” she murmurs. A blush lights up his face, and he stutters and stumbles over his words. Unable to manage anything articulate, he settles for nodding.

He is quiet on their way back to the base, and though his blush has died down somewhat, he still cannot meet her eye for more than a few moments at a time. His responses to everything she says are happy, but short. She is used to seeing the big man charge into battle without hesitation, but she has known him long enough to know that this gentle, almost shy side of him is just as much a part of him as the fearless warrior.

They pass Torbjörn in the hall and exchange greetings. When Torbjörn comments on how nicely Reinhardt and Ana are dressed, Reinhardt starts telling his friend about the restaurant and their dinner. As he goes into more and more detail, and Torbjörn has a harder and harder time getting a word in edgewise, Ana can’t help but smile. She places a gentle hand on Reinhardt’s upper arm--she has to reach up--and he gets the hint. They bid Torbjörn a good night and walk the rest of the way to his quarters.

“You sure had a lot to say to Torbjörn,” Ana says with a small smile. “It is almost like you are trying to put things off. I hope you are not having second thoughts!” Her eye shines with mischief as she watches Reinhardt try to form a coherent reply.

“Ana… my dear….”

She pats his forearm and smiles. “It’s all right. I am just teasing.” She inclines her head toward his door. “Well? Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Please,” he says, returning her smile gratefully.

Reinhardt keeps his quarters fairly tidy, though his crumb-covered plate from breakfast is still sitting on his dining table. Seeing it, he scoops it up and dumps it into the sink, where it joins several other dirty plates. He eyes the stack as though seriously considering whether to do the dishes right then and there.

Before he can get too distracted, Ana steps over to him. She stands on tiptoe, waiting until he bends down and kisses her. She lays her right hand on his bristly cheek, letting the kiss linger.

They have kissed before. Usually, their kisses were stolen moments of calm during missions, opportunities snatched while resting and recovering with danger still lurking nearby. Now, they can take their time. Ana relaxes so that she is no longer on her tiptoes, and Reinhardt bends down further to oblige. One kiss becomes another, and another, long and tender. She places her left hand on his chest, feeling the tension he holds there slowly relaxing away.

The kisses are sweet and wonderful, but Ana has more in mind. As Reinhardt touches his lips to hers again, she rises up on her tiptoes once more, kissing him harder. The kiss lasts only a moment before he straightens, gazing down at her with a tender eye.

“Oh Ana,” he says, his voice deep with emotion. She cannot raise herself up any higher, so she waits on her tiptoes, her face turned up for more kisses, hoping he gets the hint. Instead, he seems content to gaze down at her, placing one big hand against her cheek to gently cup her face. “You are so beautiful,” he rumbles.

Time for the direct approach. She starts to lift his shirt. “Let’s take this off.”

Reinhardt places his hands over hers, holding them gently in place. “Wait,” he says, his voice soft.

Ana raises her eyebrows. “Reinhardt? If you do not want to do this…”

“That’s not it. Of course I do.” He shakes his head slowly, and his smile is rueful. “If only we had done this thirty years ago. I am not the man I was then.”

“Of course you are,” she replies. “True, you may have gotten older, but we all have.” His hands relax, and she lifts his shirt up as far as she can. He has to finish taking his shirt off himself, since she can’t reach up far enough.

Ana runs her hands over his stomach and up his chest. She spots the look on his face and stops. Reinhardt is looking down at her, his face drawn. He sighs. “When Overwatch was in its prime, I was on posters. When I see those posters now, I am reminded that I will never look like that again.”

Ana tells herself to remain patient with him, this kind, sweet man. “Reinhardt, there are men half your age who would love to have your current physique.” She slaps a hand on the hard muscles of his stomach. “If I hit you any harder, I might break my hand,” she says, chuckling.

“But the scars….” He turns his face so that the scar over his eye faces away from her.

She clucks her tongue. “Do you think you are the only one with scars?” She reaches up and takes off her eye patch. For a moment, he lifts a hand as though to stop her, but thinks better of it. She wonders if he will flinch when he sees her eye socket, scarred and empty. The night is not going the way she had intended, and if Reinhardt flinches, then that will put an end to any hopes of sex tonight.

Reinhardt does not flinch. Instead, he slowly bends down and places a gentle kiss at the edge of her scar. After a long moment, he whispers, “I am being foolish, aren’t I?”

Ana feels a tear gathering at the corner of her remaining eye. “Yes,” she replies. “So stop it.” She takes his face in her hands and guides it so that their lips meet. She kisses him, and then kisses him harder, and then kisses him harder than that. She can hear him start to respond in the way he breathes, awakening some of his battlefield ferocity.

She takes one of his hands in both of hers and leads him into the bedroom. While his bed may not be made with military-style neatness anymore, he still keeps it tidy. She sits on the edge of the bed and looks up at him. He looms over her, though the sight is somehow comforting rather than alarming. She has always liked how solid he looks. It matches how she sees him: dependable and resolute. Seeing his wistful look, she chides him, “You look like you are still thinking of the past.”

“It is hard not to think of all the time we spent together, before. The missed opportunities.”

“Maybe the time was not right then,” she says. She smiles. “Who can say? Maybe the time is not right now, either.” Before he can get cold feet, she adds, “But I don’t care. Come here.” He sits beside her on the bed. “Let go of the past. Be here now, with me.”

She guides his hand to the zipper on her dress. She stands and steps out of it while he loosens his belt and removes his trousers. There is a familiarity to the way they undress. They have both done this with other people, but their comfort with each other has nothing to do with past experiences with others. It comes from protecting each other on the battlefield, from sharing quiet moments before and after fights, from a kind word or friendly look in dark times.

As she stands there in her underwear, knowing that will come off in a moment, she says, “See? I am not as impressive as all that.”

A smile lifts Reinhardt’s mustache. “Ana, my dear, if I agree to let go of the past, will you accept that you will always be beautiful to me?”

She climbs back onto the bed, straddling his legs with hers. “Deal.”

They kiss again, and that is enough talking.


End file.
